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Photos of Kate Middleton's bare bottom in German tabloid cause royal uproar

Prince William, Kate Middleton

Britain's Prince William waves as he and his wife Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, walk at Echo Point Lookout in Katoomba, Australia, Thursday, April 17, 2014.
(Rob Griffith | The Associated Press)

Kate Middleton smiles in front of the Three Sisters rock formation in the Blue Mountains during a royal tour of Echo Point in Katoomba, Australia Thursday, April 17, 2014. Rick Rycroft | AP

For once, Pippa Middleton's backside isn't getting all the attention.

Photos of Kate Middleton's naked bottom have been published in a German tabloid, causing a royal uproar. The wardrobe malfunction occurred during a trip to Australia with Prince William last month, when wind from a helicopter they were boarding appeared to reveal she wasn't wearing underwear with her blue-and-white Diane von Furstenberg dress.

View full sizeBritain's Prince William and his wife, Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge, pose in front of the Three Sisters rock formation in the Blue Mountains during a tour of Echo Point in Katoomba, Australia Thursday, April 17, 2014.Rick Rycroft | The Associated Press

The Marilyn Monroe moment Down Under was captured by photographers following the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge on a visit with fire victims, but only Germany's Bild am Sonntag opted to publish the pictures. According to the Daily Mail, the image was allegedly sold to the "highest bidder" after British publications refused to print it.

"Thank the wind for the insight into the royal household," Bild wrote in a series of cheeky jokes.

The tabloid also compared Middleton's assets to photos of Kim Kardashian and her sister Khloe -- "backsides which have moved us these past few days."

The St. James Palace has yet to publicly comment on the incident, but others are admonishing it. The Daily Mail called the publication "tasteless" (which is saying something) and Toronto's The Star offered some advice for Duchess Catherine:

"As you will know if you've ever watched an action movie, it get awfully windy around helicopters," columnist Malene Arpe wrote. "Always wear underwear. Not a thong. A thong is not underwear. A thong is idiotic."

The snafu comes less than two years after topless photos of Middleton appeared in a French magazine. The royals sued Closer's publisher and a court ordered them to hand over the nude pictures taken during a vacation in Provence.

An Italian magazine, which also printed Middleton's sunbathing snaps, was blasted by the Palace last year when it published bikini photos of the pregnant duchess, before she gave birth to Prince George. The "clear breach of the couple's right to privacy" was snapped as the couple vacationed on the island of Mustique in the Caribbean.

But according to the Inquistr, the picture is not illegal because it was taken during an "official engagement" in Australia. Sources tell the publication "Kate is completely humiliated by the situation."

A response is expected soon from the royal family.

In other news, actresses Dakota and Elle Fanning have been revealed to be distant relatives of the royal couple. People reports the Hollywood sisters are 21st cousins of Middleton and 22nd great-granddaughters of King Edward III, who ruled England from 1330 to 1376.